Seeing Is Believing
by TheSparkler
Summary: The Copycat is up to something. Can Ladybug figure it out before it's too late? Or will Chat Noir vanish when she needs him most... (Now with a new alternate ending!)
1. Seeing

**Hey guys! I am offically a beta reader! (See my profile for more info). Find me on Twitter at TheOneWhoSparks, and happy reading!**

* * *

"Just tell me where you are!"

"I'm the one in this mess, Ladybug, so I'm the one who'll get myself out of it!"

 _Slam!_

The cuffs exploded from the crate and snapped down onto Chat Noir's wrists, pinning him to the ground and sending his baton flying.

"Cataclysm!" He swung his right arm and reached for the chain, but was stopped short by a metal plate that disintegrated against his hand. He spun rapidly to face his attacker, only to find himself facing – _himself?_

 _This must be the Copycat!_ He thought, bracing himself for a fight.

"Hello, Chat Noir," purred the Copy, ambling toward the trapped hero. "You've come just in time. But where's your partner?" he asked, picking up a purple-and-black newspaper clipping from the desk and gazing at her picture before zipping it into his front pocket.

"Far away from here, and out of your reach, Copycat!" Noir spit venomously, straining against the end of the chain.

"We can't have that, now can we? We'd better give her a call!"

The Copy pulled the fallen baton from behind his back. Grabbing Chat's hand, he pressed Noir's thumb to the pawprint and quickly had Ladybug's worried face on the screen.

"Chat? What's going on? Where are you?"

The Copy smiled. "We're at Theo Barbeau's workshop. Do you know how to get here?"

"I'm on my way! I'll be there in 30 sec– wait, we?!"

The Copy turned the baton to the chained Chat. "I have your partner here, and I believe he could use your help – if you can tell which of us is the real Chat Noir."

"No Ladybug! Don't come, don't listen to him! It's a trap!" cried Chat, frantically fighting the cuffs that held him.

"Chat?! I'm coming for you! Hold on!"

"No-"

The Copy clicked the baton shut with a grin, then turned back to black-clad hero.

"She'll know you're the fake! She'll take your akuma before you can say 'miraculous'," Chat seethed, battling against the chains that held him to the floor. For the first time in his life, Chat Noir was truly desperate, and wishing with everything he had that his Lady would not appear.

"Tsk, tsk," tutted the Copy, plucking something from his belt and sauntering toward the trapped feline. "All I have to do is wait until your transformation runs out and take your miraculous. Don't worry, though – I have a plan to help pass the time."

From behind his back, the Copy presented – _a key?_

Before Chat had a chance to register what was happening, he was unlocked from the chains and his hands were cuffed behind his back. The Copy dragged him to the corner of the room, where there were several large ceiling supports. He smiled as he quickly tied Chat to the side of the pole, looping rope across Noir's chest, through the cuffs, and around his feet. From his position near the wall, Chat could see most of the workshop, but he himself was completely hidden in the shadows.

"What are you do-" Chat was cut off once again, this time by the dark fabric wrapped around his mouth. He fought to pull loose from the new ties, but only succeeded in painfully pulling something in his shoulder. All he could do was stare as the Copy moved first to the sculptor's desk, then back to the center of the room.

"It's Chat Noir that Ladybug wants," the Copy smiled, securing the chains on his own wrists. "So it's Chat Noir that Ladybug will get!"

Ladybug flew through the city, running desperately toward her partner. _He has to be okay, he has be okay, he has to!_

She sailed through an open window and landed on the floor with a light thud.

"Chat?!"

She heard a groan from the other side of the long room.

"Chat!"

She covered the distance between them in one swing and dropped to her knees next to the light-haired figure laying on the floor.

"Noir, talk to me! Where's the Copy? Is there a trap? Chat? Chat!"

Ladybug shook his shoulder forcefully, and he slowly rolled onto his back to look at her, revealing silver cuffs on his wrists and a metal chain locked to the ground.

"Ladybug?" His breathing was heavy, and his pupils contracted rapidly, struggling to focus.

"I'm here, I'm here," she said softly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"I'm alright," he answered, painstakingly pushing himself off the floor and wincing the whole way up. "I'm so glad you're here. The Copycat left to go find you, but he hit me with something that made me dizzy. I tried to use my Cataclysm, but I couldn't concentrate." He shook his head as he made it, swaying, to his feet. "We've got to get out of here before he comes back."

Ladybug stood up and scanned the room, looking for something to use to break the cuffs. She moved hurriedly to the table that held the sculptor's blueprints, and found Chat's baton laying behind it. Rifling quickly through the papers, she found what she needed – a small silver key.

"Here!" With a quick twist, the lock sprang, and the cuffs crashed to the floor. She passed him the baton, which he attached carefully to the loop on the back of his suit.

"We have to get out of here. Can you jump?" asked Ladybug. She took in his unsteady frame. "On second thought, I'll carry you."

She put his arm around her shoulders and supported his body with hers. His legs started to shake, and she pulled him closer against her side.

"We need to set up a patrol to find the Copycat," she said, unhooking her yo-yo with her free hand. "But first, let's get you better. Hang on!" A moment later, the workshop was empty and silent.

 _Beep beep beep!_

A light flashed in the corner, revealing the silhouette of the boy that was tied there.


	2. Believing

"Flmmph fllmmm mmmph!"

Adrien, now alone in the workshop, was both furious and afraid. _I'm coming, Ladybug! Please figure out who he is! He's not me!_

He had given up on fighting the ties, and scanned the air in front of him. His eyes lit on a floating black figure, and he was washed with relief.

"Phmmmff! Hllfmmph!"

Plagg flew forward and untied the fabric from around Adrien's face.

"Plagg! We have to find her!"

The kwami huffed jokingly. "Well why didn't you just say so!" He circled the pole to find the knot in the rope, then quickly pulled it apart. Adrien fought his way out of the loops, then had to stop and brace his left hand on the pole behind him, his right shoulder searing in pain.

"This is not good," he mumbled, feeling heat rise in his joint. "I must have actually pulled something!" He shook his head, snapping back to reality – a reality in which his Lady was in danger. "Think, Adrien, think…"

Plagg flew around the workshop and came back with a large piece of old fabric. Adrien, having found tape on the floor nearby, quickly fashioned a sling using the rope that had tied him. Looping it carefully over his head, he adjusted the length and tied it off with the help of his kwami.

"I don't get it," said Plagg, taking the cheese that Adrien pulled from his pocket. "If the Copycat wanted your miraculous, why didn't he stay until the transformation wore off and catch me?"

"He doesn't know about you, remember? Hawkmoth doesn't tell his akuma victims about kwamis, just to take the miraculous, so he thought that even if I transformed before he got back, I would still be alone. Then he could just compare me to his Chat Noir suit and take what we had in common – the ring."

"I wonder what he's doing with Ladybug," Plagg speculated, finishing his cheese. "She's bound to figure out who he is before long, and no one stands a chance against an angry Ladybug."

"Yeah? Let's hope she figures him out, then," Adrien replied, securing his ring. "Plagg, claws out!"

He braced himself for the transformation, but still yelped when it hit his injured shoulder. Reaching back with his left hand, he found a new baton looped through the back of his suit. _Ladybug's luck must be rubbing off – now that I have a new one, the old baton won't work!_

* * *

Chat Noir snuck his way slowly and painfully through the city. He hoped with everything he had that his hunch about their location was right – if it wasn't, it could cost his partner everything. His unusual good luck held; the workshop wasn't far from the Tower, and it was currently closed to the public for cleaning. He slipped around the corner of the square and unhooked his baton, using it to zoom in on the top floor of the structure.

He almost collapsed in relief. His Lady was _there_ , still masked and herself. Just as he went to drop his arm and move in, a black-clad figure joined the hero in red, who held him as he fell into her arms. Chat growled under his breath, and darted (as quickly as he could) to the base of the Tower. He slipped past the cleaners and began the laborious trip up the steps, the Copy's words spurring him on. Just before Ladybug had flown through the window of the workshop, the Copy had dropped to the ground and turned his head to look at Noir, his smile glowing ominously. ' _She's mine…'_

Chat made it to the top, his legs shaking and his breath coming in gasps. _This is SO much easier when I can just climb the outside!_ he thought, glowering down at his injured arm. He shook his head and cracked the door from the stairwell, straining to see his partner. With neither of them in sight, he edged his way out the door and listened, using their voices to find the pair.

"Thank you so much, Ladybug. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Anytime, Chaton. I couldn't let down one of Paris's heroes, now could I?"

Noir, with his back pressed to the outer wall of the stairwell, looked sideways around the corner just in time to see her ruffle his hair. They were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, the Copy leaning in toward Ladybug.

"You could never let me down, Ladybug. You're perfect!"

Chat smiled, catching the imposter's mistake. _It's purrfect, you fish face!_

Chat could see the same thought pass through his partner's face; the scrunching of her eyebrows and a question in her eyes, followed quickly by a shake of her head and a deep inhale. _She still thinks he's me!_

"How are you feeling? We should really start a patrol to find the Copycat before he hurts anyone else," Ladybug said, reaching for the rail behind her to pull herself up.

"Wait!" cried the Copy, grabbing her wrist. "Can't we wait just a little longer? I'm almost back to normal, I just need a few more minutes."

"Okay," she said uncertainly, sinking back onto the beam and looking out over the city. "We need to go soon though, before my transformation wears out."

With her gaze on the horizon, Ladybug missed what Chat saw; the Copy smiled, his eyes growing darker as he watched her red-and-black suit for signs of change.

"All right, now you're in for it," muttered Noir, bracing himself for impact and jumping out from where he was hiding.

"Give it up, Copycat!" he yelled, springing between the pair on the beam and turning to face off with his double, back to his partner. He snapped out his baton, extending it in his left hand.

"Chat?" Ladybug reached out, unsure of what to do.

"Ladybug! He's lying! I'm the real Chat Noir!" shouted the Copy, mirroring Chat's position to fight.

From behind them, Ladybug stared at the back and arm of the boy in front of her. "He's hurt? Why didn't you tell me!" she called to Copy, who was still tensed for a brawl.

The Copy, taking this in, sneered at Noir. "I didn't know! He must have hurt himself getting here. That baton isn't for beginners, you know!"

 _The baton!_

"If you think you're so good, show us what you've got! Use your staff and fight!" Chat challenged.

His smirk growing wider, the Copy pulled the old baton from behind his back, but failed to extend it. He looked down and shook it, growing flustered. Ladybug, still rapidly taking in the scene before her, swung to the beam above the apprehensive pair. Her mind reeled, desperately trying to decipher the real from the fake.

"Where's the akuma?" she called. Neither looked up but both responded.

"His ring!"

"The photo in his pocket!"

She hissed through her teeth. If she took the ring from the wrong Chat, the Copy could easily overpower them both, especially if the true Chat was the one who was injured. They began to circle underneath her, one with baton extended, one without. _The baton!_

She jumped between them, landing with her back to the injured newcomer. "Your staff – why won't it work?"

"What do you mean? Of course it works!" He pressed thumb to the pawprint, which once again failed to activate the weapon.

Ladybug stared hard at the eyes of the blond in front of her. "What is the first thing Chat Noir ever said me?"

"Uhhh…" the Copy hesitated, starting to panic. From behind her, Chat Noir smiled.

"Well, hey there. Nice of you to drop in," he purred, moving to her side with a bow. Ladybug, without missing a beat, shot out her yo-yo and pinned the Copy's arms to his sides. She yanked, and sent him sprawling to the ground.

"He's not worth it, Ladybug! I'm so much better than that mangy ally cat!" he spit, struggling against the unbreakable cord. The spotted heroine turned to her partner and crushed him in a hug.

"I am so sorry! I never should have believed him! You were hurt and I just left you and I-" Chat held up his hand to stop her.

"No sweat, clumsy girl. I'm learning the ropes too," he winked. "I'm just glad you know the real Chat from the fake! Now, if you could just let go of my shoulder, that would be purrfect." His voice was strained. When she pulled back, Ladybug could see his face start to shift from red to white, bordering on green.

"Let's end this," she said, her voice hard and her eyes flashing. She yanked the Copycat roughly toward her, and took the newspaper clipping from his pocket. Tearing it in half, she dropped the pieces and readied her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize!"

They watched the white butterfly disappear into the air, and Chat started when Ladybug's earrings began to beep. "I think it's time for you to go, Bugaboo."

"Not quite yet," she said, returning his fist bump. She dragged the groggy sculptor to the stairwell door, then wrapped Chat's good arm around her shoulders, holding him tightly as she swung them both to the ground. He bowed (as dramatically as one can with only one arm). "For this, I am forever in your debt," he purred. She laughed, untying her yo-yo and crouching to spring. As she turned, Noir leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, startling her out of her stance.

Ladybug pretended to swing at him, stopping just shy of his arm. "I can't believe you!" She said, failing to stop her laughter from escaping.

Chat shook his head and tutted, smiling fit to burst.

"Oh, but m'lady…

believe it."


	3. Alternate Ending

**Hey guys! This is an alternate ending to follow the first chapter. Let me know what you think, and happy reading!**

* * *

"Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir scrambled out of the workshop, dropping into the alleyway beside the old building.

"Think, Chat, think! Where could they be, where could they be…"

After half an hour of slowly searching the nearby rooftops (his injured right shoulder severely impeding his progress), Noir stopped dead in his tracks.

"Stupid Chat, stupid!" He scolded himself, slapping himself in the head and pulling his baton out of the loop on his back. In less than a minute, he had Ladybug's location pulled up on the screen, the small red dot pulsing against the bright-green grid of the city.

"Hang on Bug, I'm coming!" Chat called to the nearby pigeons, bracing himself and jumping to the ground. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to run all the way there, he quickly found a city bus and scaled it, holding on with his good arm and hoping that the wind wouldn't knock him off the top and into the street below. He watched as her dot quickly passed through the city ( _probably on patrol,_ he thought), then return to where it started.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Eiffel Tower, he groaned, his tail and ears drooping. The large metal structure was supposed to be closed for the next two days for cleaning, but they had postponed the closing – which meant it was currently full of people. Chat glanced at the map in his hand again, knowing that his partner on the very top level. Thankfully, he knew that the top was free of civilians. When the Tower staff had realized that the superhero duo used it as a meeting point, the entire level had been closed off to the public to give them space. Taking a deep breath, he ran forward, dodging people left and right.

"Look out! Clear the way!" They stared at him, wondering why he was there and in such a rush when there was no akuma around. Noir darted into the lobby, his heart sinking to his feet when he saw the seemingly-endless line for the elevators in front of him. He ran past the large crowd of people, squeezing into the already-full elevator right before the doors slid shut. Just has he started to breathe again, the elevator jerked to a halt – a power flicker had stopped its progress. Noir pried the doors open and jumped out, moving out of the way as Tower staff came to investigate the problem. Turning around, he found himself on the 42nd floor, just over halfway to the top.

"Please figure out he's the fake, LB, please please please…" Chat muttered to himself, turning mid-step and taking off for the stairs, jumping them three at a time.

By the time he had made it up the remaining 38 stories (or 936 stairs, as he counted), Adrien's legs where shaking so violently that he had to grip the railing to remain upright. His lungs burned and his heart felt like it was trying to escape his body through his chest. The stairwell was free of civilians, as no sane person ever climbed the stairs to the top. Chat Noir collapsed onto the hard floor, his hands braced in front of him to stop him from going down completely. Pulling out his baton, Noir pulled up the map, confirming that his partner was less than 10 yards away. He forced himself to his feet and staggered to the door that led to the outer walkway of the level. It had been almost an hour since Ladybug and the Copy had left the workshop, and Chat knew that he was running out of time. Cracking the door open, he could hear their voices around the corner of the platform.

"What do you think could be wrong? It's never done this before, has it?"

Noir heard the Copycat struggling with the silver weapon, and he smiled for the first time all day. _Now that I have a new baton, the old one won't work! Ladybug will figure him out in a heartbeat._

"I bet it was something that that horrible Copycat did to me. I know that he was just out to get me out of the way so that he could get to you, Ladybug."

Chat could hear his heartbeat ringing through his head. _I'll show you the horrible Copycat!_

He snuck around the corner, grateful to find his partner in red facing his way, while the imposter in black was looking away, still struggling with the useless weapon. Ladybug noticed the double and started, opening her mouth to yell. Noir put his finger to his lips, shaking his head and waving his good arm in an attempt to get her to stay quiet. As soon as he was sure she wouldn't call out, he pulled out his baton, extending and retracting it to prove to his partner that it worked. Showing it to her, he pressed the pawprint to call her yo-yo, which lit up at her side. Looking down, she opened it to find the injured Chat looking back at her, his eyes pleading and his hands shaking. Ladybug looked back and forth from him to the yo-yo in shock. Suddenly, her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide, staring up at him. Chat sighed in relief, unbelievably glad that his partner had figured out the truth. Unfortunately, all of her movement had drawn the attention of the Copy.

"Ladybug? What are you looking at?"

She tried to stop him, but the Copycat stood up and turned around, finding himself face-to-face with his double. He smirked, tossing the useless weapon aside and squaring off with the injured hero.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat's dragged in!" The Copy laughed, slowly clapping his hands as he moved forward. The worse-than-usual pun made Ladybug cringe, especially coming from the mouth of a fake.

"You lied to me, Copycat!"

He turned to face her. "You were supposed to realize that your love for him wasn't as real as your love for me! I love you, Ladybug, and you will be mine!"

"My love for him?!"

"Give it up, Theo," Noir growled, extending his weapon with his good hand. "She will never be yours!"

"We'll see about that!" The Copy lunged forward, swinging up his fist to meet the flying metal.

"Be yours?!" Ladybug huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't belong to either of you!"

The brawling cats ignored her outburst. Using the beam above him, the Copy swung upward, coming down hard on Chat's injured arm. The hero hissed and twisted away, feeling the strain on his shoulder increase as his vision momentarily blurred. He crouched and shook his head, clearing his eyes before standing back up and bracing himself for another attack. Instead, he found himself facing his struggling partner, who was fighting the black-clad arms that were locked around her. Using Ladybug's own yo-yo against her, the Copy wrapped her in the indestructible wire, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Get off of me!"

Ladybug stomped on his foot and swung her head into his chest, sending him sprawling backwards and giving her partner the space he needed to jump between them.

"Are you okay, Bugaboo?"

She glared at him and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Just peachy, Chat Noir!"

"Duck!"

At her warning, they both dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the piece of scrap metal that swung over their heads. Chat sprang up and turned to his double, ready to end the fight once and for all.

"Give it up, Copycat! She will never be yours, just like she isn't mine! Ladybug is a hero all on her own, without any pesky cats getting in her way!" As he yelled, Chat reached behind him to his partner, who twisted upward so that he could reach the wire that held her. With one tug, he pulled the knot loose and freed his partner. Using her yo-yo as a swing, Ladybug jumped over Noir and landed on the Copy, pinning him to the beam beneath him.

"The photo in his pocket!"

Leaving her knees on his arms, Ladybug unzipped the pocket and retrieved the newspaper clipping, tearing it neatly in half and revealing the purple-and-black butterfly within.

"Time to de-evilize!"

"Pound it!"

They watched as the small white wings disappeared, then pulled the akuma-free sculptor back into the stairwell. Ladybug, feeling bad for the heart-sick victim, left the signed photograph at his side before joining her partner at the outside rail.

"What you said a minute ago? Thank you."

Chat smiled at her words, securing his baton back into its loop.

"But you were wrong about part of it."

He paused, looking sideways at her in confusion.

"I may be a hero, but I am nothing without my pesky Chat."

He bumped his shoulder lightly against hers, earning a smile from the girl in red.

"M'lady, I believe that you have yet to apologize for abandoning me in an empty warehouse."

Ladybug looked over in alarm, only to laugh when she saw his grin and realized that he was kidding.

"Oh, kitty, sometimes you have to see it to believe it!"


End file.
